Tarnos - La Digue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks at Tarnos. Gotta be straight with you, it’s a pretty grim outlook for the foreseeable future. We’re looking at a long dry spell with hardly anything worth paddling out for.

Right now, through the 16th and 17th of July, we’ve got tiny, weak swell – barely 2 ft to 2 ft from the NW, with a short, weak period of 5 seconds. The wind is on it or cross-onshore, making it a real mess. The combined wave energy is pitiful, sitting in the teens and low thirties (18 to 33). Honestly, just leave the boards in the car.

We’re looking at a serious gap here. The conditions don’t really improve for days. Through the 18th, 19th, and 20th, the swell stays small and weak, with the wind mostly onshore or cross-onshore. The 18th morning does go glassy, but with only 2 ft of swell, it’s not even worth a mention. The energy is still low, from 13 to 71.

Finally, we get a tiny glimmer on Tuesday, the 21st of July. The morning has a glassy surface with light NW winds of 5 km/h, and some swell from the NNW at 3 ft and a 6-second period. The combined energy nudges up to 84. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The afternoon, however, goes back to poor with cross-onshore winds.

The next morning, Wednesday the 22nd, is actually the best we’ll see in this whole window. Tarnos - La Digue gets a clean window with offshore winds from the ENE at 10 km/h. The swell is a consistent 3 ft from the NNW, with a 6-second period. The energy is moderate (71). It’s the one standout, but it’s still a small-wave day for beginners. The water temperature is about average for this time of year.

After that, it’s right back to the grind. From the 23rd all the way through the 27th, we’re back to tiny, weak swell (1 ft to 2 ft) with poor wind. The energy is in the 20s to 70s. There’s a long, boring run of nothing.

Now, looking into the second week, things get a bit more interesting, but it’s still not great. Around the 28th and 29th of July, the swell finally starts to build, with 3 ft to 5 ft from the WNW. The period improves to 8-9 seconds, and the energy jumps into the 100s and 200s (121 to 324). But the catch is the wind is always cross-onshore, keeping it choppy and messy. It’s marginal at best, and the afternoon of the 29th is still poor.

The 30th and 31st of July have a similar story: 4 ft to 5 ft of NW swell, with moderate energy (206 to 345), but the wind is onshore, gusting up to 25 km/h. By the 31st, there’s even a risk of thunderstorms. With the wind and the chop, this setup might actually be more interesting for the kite surfers than for paddle surfing.

So, bottom line: the only real window is the morning of the 22nd of July. It’s small, it’s clean, and it’s consistent, but don’t expect anything epic. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off.

Rusty.

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